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VOLUME XXXVI
,..:'"^N
•-- 'ill
NO. 8
BIG TIMBERi SWEET GRASS COUNTY; MONTANA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 1925
ANNUAL CHRISTMAS BLAZE
OKLAHOMA SCHOOL
Ebbing Candle Ignites Tree And Panic Reigns
—More Than Thirty Perish—Only One
s I)oor, And Windows Are Screened
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HOBART, Ol'da., Dec. 25.—Christmas
festivities for the children in the Babb
Switch school .district were turned to
tragedy tonighf and more than thirty
of the rural population were burned
~m death wlia-h, fire, starting from a
caidle on a'Christmas tree burned the
sclool house, which was crowded with
merry makers.
The (ire broke out at the close of
the Christmas eve program given by
the children of the school when a
candle on a Christmas tree ignited a
ball of cotton in the top of the tree.
There was a dash to extinguish the
flames and the tree was turned over,
scattering the burning cotton.
. In an instant there was a rush for
the one door and the windows. The
latter were found to be securely covered with a heavy woven wire and efforts to break through it were futile.
The school room, which was 24 by 36
feet in size, was packed, persons who
escaped declaring no less than 200
spectators were jammed into every
nook to watch the children of the
neighborhood as they presented their
Christmas exercises.
The frail building swept by a wintry wind was soon a mass of flames,
and the door was jammed by the few
who could reach it. Those who had
escaped the furnace worked frantically
to extricate the mass in the door and
thus saved some of their neighbors.
Cries of children for their parents 'and
the cries of the ciders to reach their
offspring made the flaming room like
a madhouse, but the frenzy was not
for long.
The Christmas tree on a stage at
the back of the school house was the
center of all eyes when a taper, expiring, after -its effort to help cheer
the assembled children, shot a flame
into some decorations at the lop of
the tree. The crowd arose as one "per
son with shouts of fear and the children who had been at the foot of the
tree enjoying their gifts, tried to get
away. The tree was upset, and the
flames spread rapidly.
The one door was at the other end
of the building and only a few could
get out in the frenzy of all to escape
at once. The desperate fathers and
mothers separated from their children
fought madly to get to the youngsters
and then, when that proved futile, to
break out the windows. The glass
gave way, but outside to protect the
glass, was wire netting that kept, the
entrapped people in the torment of the
flames.
It is believed several bodies are yet
in the embers. Many of the victims
are children who were taking part in
the program. They were grouped at
the front of the room near the tree
and were farthest from the one door.
Hospitals here are filled with injured and several were taken to farm
houses near the scene of the fire.
Physicians here said that five of the
persons in hospitals were seriously
burned.
The ground was covered with snow,
but some of the survivors dashed
away across the plains for help,
Copper Stocks Soar .
In New York Market
NEW YORK, Dec. 20.—Wall street
was treated to another surprise today
when the stpek market in defiance of
the traditional dull and featureless
movement in the first post holiday session, developed another burst of bullish enthusiasm under the leadership
of the copper shares, which contributed 18 of the 47 new 1924 high records
established during the day.
Heavy buying of the copper shares
was predicted upon the establishment
of a new high price for the year in
the east by Red metal at 15 cents a
pound and speculative expectation of
dividend resumptions of increases by
some of the larger companies. American Smelting and Refining was the leader in that group, crossing par for the
first time in seven years. Anaconda,
Chile, Kennecott. Utah, Inspiration,
Magma, Butte and Superior and Ccrro
Ue Pasco also sold at new high levels.
United States Steel, common and
New York Central each touched 119%,
the highest price in seven and twelve
years, respectively. American Locomotive crossed 102 to the highest price
since the split up if th.- stock in 1923.
The grain markt'.. were unusually
buoyant.- Wheat prices surged up 3vi
to 4% cents a bushel to the highest level
of the year, with the December delivery closing at §1.77% and May at
l.Sl'4* Heavier foreign buying based
on reports of a smaller world supply
contributed to the strength of the market. Corn prices moved up in sympathy with wheat.
Montana Fares Well
In Government Roads
WASHINGTON, Dec. 28.—The final
designation and approval of the federal aid highway system in all the
states is an event which will be recognized as time goes on as one of the
milestones of progress in the improvement of the highways of. the country,
Thos. H. McDonald, chief of the bureau
of good roads declared in his annual
report to Secretary of Agriculture Gore.
Three states, Maryland, Delaware
find.lfhodc Island, have completed their
highway systems. In Montana, up to
Jiuie 30, last, 805.7 miles of the system
had been completed, at a cost of $8,-
911,059.55, of which the federal government furnished $4,408,281.04.
McDonald gave an interesting table
on the composition of the 805.7 miles
of federal aid roads in Montana. Of
this mileage, 555.9 is gravel, 193.2 graded and drained, 16. water-bound macadam, 0.9 bituminous concrete, 31.3
Portland cement concrete, 1.6 bridges.
The map of the system presents a
definite plan for the improvement of
the main highways of the nation, a
plan that is possible to carry out in
a period of not more than ten years,
and which, in that limited period, will
result in a connected system of arterial highway transportation ..between all
cities of 5,000 population or larger.
The" duty of constructing the connecting ,. roads which are needed to give
access to the main system rests with
the states and counties.
Loses Useless Optic
But Will Get Damage
ST. PAUL, Dec. 26.—A workman who
loses an eye through an industrial accident, even though he is blind in that
eye, is entitled to compensation under
the Workmen's compensation law, the
Minnesota supreme court held today,
in affirming the state industrial commission. The decision was made in the
case of N. C. Mosgard, of Minneapolis,
who was denied compensation for the
loss of an eye, in which he had been
blind since infancy. He appealed to
the industrial commission, which
awarded him SI8 a week for 102 weeks.
GAME AND FISH COMMISSION WILL
ASK FOR CHANGE IN PRESENT LAW
Helena Independent: Recommendation for an increase in hunting and
fishing licenses will be made to the
coming legislature by the Montana
Sportsmen association and the state
fish and game commission according to
a decision of these two bodies meeting
in joint session here yesterday. The
sportsmen's organization and the game
commission have gone on record for
what is called the "divided license"
law. They recommend that the fishing
license be fixed at $2 and the hunting
license at §2 or a combination hunting and fishing license at $3. The present law provides for a combination
hunting and fishing license for residents of Montana at 82.
It is estimated that the new schedule if adopted by the legislature will
■>-- hring $15,000 or slightly more in additional revenue to the state. Those
advocating the increase advance the
argument that the additional^ money
is needed to make a more determined
fight against predatory animals and
carry on more educational work.
In the proposal for a change in the
license law is a provision for a §1
license for women and boys and girls
over 15 and under 19 or a $1 combination license for persons in this class.
The joint meeting will be continued
today when final action will be taken
on all matters the bodies wish to bring
before the legislature.
During the meeting Si Stoddard,
member of the legislature from Deer
Lodge county and a member of the
Sportsmen's association called attention to the alleged commercializing of
Echo lake, near Georgetown lake, and
the meeting asked the commission to
look into the matter with a view to
remedying any . abuse of discretion..
Stoddard told the members that it was
charged that the present tenant at Echo
lake is selling fish and not abiding
by an agreement to restock it with
fish. On the other hand he said, it is
charged that the fish being caught for
commercial purposes in Echo lake are
fed to that lake from Georgetown lake
through what is known as Flint creek.
Among other recommendations of
the bodies in meeting here are: More
protection for fur bearing animals;
screening of irrigation ditches; closing
whole state to shooting of grouse with
power given the commission to open
certain portions; protection of bear.
Rev. Joseph Pope, Noted Dry
Chief, Dies In Seattle, Wash.
- •• ^.;«V:. ..... , _...-.,.
Rev. Joseph Pope, well known to all old timers of Sweet Grass
county, died at his home, in'Seattle, Wash., last night of heart failure.
News of his death is contained' in the following dispatch from that
city: .'',..
"Rev. Joseph Pope, 58, superintendent of the- Washington Anti-
Saloon league, died at his home here tonight after- a short-illness.
"Mr.-'Pope suffered from .a heart attack during a recent trip to
Montana, where he was -superintendent of the Montana Anti-Saloon
league for 11 years. ' "
-•-" "Mr. Pope was born May 14, 1866, at Cornwall, England. He came
to the United States in 1890, going to Montana' where he was a member of the state legislature. He came to Seattle in August, 1923.
"Mr. Pope is survived by his.widow; and three children, Mrs. Mary.
Worden, Missoula, Mont.; Mrs. Ethel Morgan, Coryallis, Ore., and
Miss Dorothy Pope, Seattle."
One of the first pastors of the Congregational church of this city,
Rev. Pope moved later to Laurel, then to Billings. During his residence at those places, and up to the time he took charge of prohibition work in Montana, Rev. Pope was j called here on many occasions
to conduct funeral services for old. time friends.
While residing here he was as" poor as the average preacher, but
later became affluent, through prohibition work, it is said, and is
reputed to have been worth $100,000, in ranches and other holdings,
at the" time he left Billings.
WOMAN TAKES WILD RIDE TWELVE
MILES ON PILOT OF LOCOMOTIVE
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Dec. 26.—"I've
thanked God a thousand times that
I'm alive," sobbed Mrs. Mary Clark,
19, as she lay on a hospital cot here
today and described a Christmas night
ride of 12 miles on the locomotive
pilot of the Knickerbocker Special, a
fast New York Central train running
from Indianapolis to New York.
Mrs. Clark was caught on the pilot
when the train, demolished an automobile at a crossing here, killing one
member of her family and injuring two
others.
s
Mrs. Clark's mother-in-law, Mrs.
Clyde Clark, died of injuries. Kenneth
Clark, 22, husband pf Mrs. Mary Clark,
and Clyde Clark^ Kenneth's father, were
injured. "Billy" Hartman, 20 .months
old nephew of Mrs. Kenneth Clark, escaped uninjured.
"It was. the most terrifying experience 1 ever expect to have,". said Mrs.
Clark as she told' of" clinging to the
locomotive until she finally became unconscious and swept oft* into a ditch,
where she was found by a farmer who
heard her screams.
Mrs. Clark said as the automobile
started across the tracks she heard a
terrific crash and then remembered
nothing until she found herself on the
engine pilot.
'T,was still somewhat dazed," she
said,1 "but I realized where I was and
I apparently had enough presence of
mind to cling to some kind of an
iron bar on the head of the locomotive. I screamed, shrieked and shouted until my throat became • so raw I
was unable to make further outcry. It
seemed that I was Hying, the train
was going so fast.
"The minutes seemed like hours and
the wind was so strong I wns afraid
to'-turn around and look ahead. It was
the coldest wind I ever felt.
"I felt that it would be only a question of'a few seconds until I probably would be dashed to the tracks below and ground to • pieces.15 It was terrible. J. I. prpyed to .God. to give, me
strength-to hang on just a little, further. I also asked that if He;intended to take 'me, to please spare Ken-
nelh and the rest of the family. .
"I thought of Kenneth and his father
and mother and little Billy luany times
as the train sped on and I wondered
if they had been killed. I prayed and
prayed that they be saved."
Insane Patients Die
When Hospital Burns
ALTON, 111., Dec. 28—Three aged
patients of the state insane hospital
three miles east of Alton, were burned
to death early today when a frame
house was destroyed by fire. The dead
arc:
Charles Sunderland, 67, of Alton.
Henry Languth, 70, Monroe county.
Fred Lang, 50, relatives unknown.
Thomas Guyn, a fourth patient, was
severely burned.
There were 14 patients in the farm
house in charge of Fred Tackenbrock
and his wife. The building was one
of the four used to house patients employed on the hospital farms and was
situated about a quarter of a mile
from the main institution. Tcckcn-
brock said he was awakened at 4:30
a. m. by the smell of smoke and saw
the. portion "of the house occupied by
the patients bursting into flames, apparently from an overheated stove.
Tcckenbrock and his wife and the
11 patients who escaped in their night
clothing suffered considerably, from the
sub-zero temperature until blankets
were brought to them.
Teapot Dome Matter
Rests Until March 9
CHEYENNE, Wyo., Dec. 26—Judge
T. Blake Kennedy this morning granted
a continuance until March 9th, of the
trial of the government's suit in equity
for annulment of the Mammoth Oil
company's lease on the Teapot Dome
naval oil reserve.
The continuance was sought by the
government on the ground that it needed additional time to secure from H.
S. Osier and other Canadians and from
certain residents of the United States,
testimony essential to the establishment of its claim that the Teapot
Dome- lease was granted as the result
of a conspiracy to which Harry F. Sinclair and Albert B. Fall, the latter-then
secretary of the interior, were parties.
Counsel for the Mammoth company
resisted the motion for a continuance.
Movie Picture Treat
For New York Blind
NEW YOK, Dec. 26.—Twelve hundred
blind men, ^vomen and children sat in
a darkened theater today and "saw"
their first motion picture. The reading of an atmospheric narrative, with
a rythmic arrangement, together with
special music, enabled the audience, to
conceive the story as it was unreeled
on the screen. The hero of the screen
story was a blind lighthouse keeper.
The company which produced it intends
to make another picture which will he
arranged especially for blind audiences.
Extra Session Will
Be Determined Later
WASHINGTON, Dec. 26.—Decision as
to an extra session of congress after
March 4 is being withheld by President
Coolidge, but in his opinion, one should
be called only in event, of some development of great importance.
The president will await the termination of, the present session before
making any attempt to decide on the
question of an extra session. The
chief task before the present session
is the enactment of the regular appropriation bills and with three of these,
already approved by the house, the
feeling in administration quarters is
that this work will be performed before March 4.
Mr. Coolidge recommends a wide diversity of other legislation to the attention of congress in his annual message, some of which he regards as very
important, but whether any of this, if
not acted upon, *is sufficiently important to warrant' an extra scission is a
question he is not ready to determine.
Several republican leaders in congress,
including Chairman Borah 6f the senate foreign relations committee.
PRICE $2.00 PER YEAR
-:...:.j&..$ ,. -.'.-..:•-* >x?^&-A-r«v •;
GOV. LEN SMALL MAY HAVE
TROUBLE ON
Evidence At Court Hearing Shows He
Short $1,000,000 While Treasurer—No
body Knows Where The Money Went
, SPRINGFIELD, Ills., Dec. 30.—Gov.n
Len Small was held accountable for
the entire' interest entrusted to him
as state treasurer, in a decision made
today by Circuit Judge Frank W. Burton of Carrolton.
. The decision was accompanied by a
denunciation of the state official, who
sut before him.
Counsel for the governor tonight
had announced no- plans of procedure.
I Preparing the formal decree for presentation in court tomorrow morning,
Assistant Attorney General Clarence M.
Boord tonight said the amount of Gov.
Small's alleged indebtedness to the
state was "considerably more than one
million dollars." Tomorrow the case
will be formally referred back to the
master-in-chanccry for a definite de-
cisionof the amount of indebtedness.
"Governor Small must account for
interest 911 all securities purchased with
state funds and turned over by him
to the Curtises," Mr. Boord • said.
"Nearly all those securities were packers' notes. The exact amount due will
be determined in hearings before the
master."
Eleven days were spent by counsel
arguing before Judge Burton.
Their strife was over the report of
Former Havre Judge
Dead In Hoosier Town
Ohio Lumberman Has
Millions To Scatter
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 25.—A Christmas gift of a possible value of between
62,000,000 and §3,000,000 was announced
here today.
William McClellan Bitter of Washington, formerly of Columbus, and
founder of the William M. Bitter Lumber company, the executive offices of
which arc here, is the donor, and 124
men and women, most of whom arc
employes of the company, get approximately one-fourth of the capital stock
of the corporation that bears his name.
Plans for distribution of the stock
were completed last night. The shares
that will be divided number 12,500 and
have a par value of §1,250,000. As the
stock of the corporation is closely held,
no exact approximation of the real
gift could be obtained, hut local bankers expressed the opinion that it might
run between §2,000,000 and §3,000,000.
Virginia Flood Has
Death List Of Five
ABINGDON, Va., Dec. 25.—Five persons are known dead and 200 arc homeless as a result of a muck dam breaking at Parmartown, Va., on the north
fork of the Holston river, at 10 o'clock
last night.
Virtually the whole village of Parmartown, settled chiefly by workers at
the Malhieson Alkali works, was wiped
out, according to report received here.
The hospital and private homes at Salt-
ville near the scene of the flood, are
said to be filled with injured.
HAVRE. Dec. 2C—Judge F. N. Utter,
one of the best, knoyyn residents of
Havre and a leading Montana lawyer,
jurist ,and banker, died yesterday
morning in Lafayette, Ind., where he
had gone for medical attention; according to word received in Havre.
■ kludge0 Utter was taken sick, during
the fall with an attack of ilu and it
left Jiim(-.in . a weakened condition,
>?hieK \vas *at first pronounced .iancer.
He went to one of the largest, clinics
in the middlewcst for diagnosis and
there -it was pronounced tuberculosis
of the spine.
Following this verdict the judge decided to go to a famous hospital and
sanitarium at Lafayette, Ind., where
his nephew was one of the leading
surgeons, and another diagnosis confirmed the decision.
It was decided that the judge would
have to wear a plaster cast for months
and he was placed in one and reports
received here were most encouraging
until the sad message of his death
was received.
*No' details are known. Mrs. Utter
and the children Mere in Lafayette
where they went recently to join him.
Judge Utter had been long identified
with the life of northern Montana,
coming to Havre as a lawyer. He, was
cashier of the old Havre National bank
and was appointed judge of the Seventeenth judicial district and was reelected to the position. In recent years
he has been in private practice.
the master-in-chanccry, which the judge
approved today. Arguments of defense,
counsel, headed by Werner W. Schroe-
der, Kankakee,'and Senator John Daily"
of Peoria, were chiefly to th4 effect,
that there was "not one iota of proof,
of money wrongfully held."
This argument turned as a boomerang against the defense.'. Peering
down at the upturned face of Goverr-
nor Small, the elderly judge asked why
there was no proof, and added that
"not only one, but practically every
item of evidence and proof . . . had
disappeared." • ' "'•'
"if there is anyone," he'continued,'
"who should preserve a record- of his",
administration, it is the public officer."
Governor Small, the judge said, held
Verne Curtis and the heirs of Edward
Curtis, former state senator, accountable foi-, the interest on the packers'
notes, but added, that men who signed the governor's bond when he be-'
came treasurer, are not liable. TJie
Curtises. were proprietors of the Grant:
Park bank. ' .
"Three persons knew all about this
bank," the judge declared. "Small, Ed-
Curtis and Verne Curtis. Ed is dead,
Verne refuses to answer because it
will 'incriminate him,' and Small enters
the geiteral assembly with Ed Curtis,
the genera assembly with Ed Curtis.
I regarded him as a friend. I would
rather think him dead than think of
him as a banker, in charge of millions
of dollars which others have entrusted to him, refusing, to testify 'because
he might- incriminate' himself."
How Judge Burton's decision may
affect Governor Small's second inaug\
uration, which has been set for Jan\
12, was uncertain tonight*/- The attor- \
ney gcnei-al's force r.effiscd'to say how
they interpreted _the. law vegnrding it,
adding that "the question would require .
a»carcful and exhaustive study.
Grandview Hotel At
Poison Is No More
POLSON, Dec. 215.—A fire destroyed
the north wing of the Grandview hotel and the. whole building is a ruin
from fire and water. The blaze was
discovered at 9:30 a. m., coming from
the kitchen, and it is attributed to
an overheated range. The fire spread
rapidly throughout the frame building,
and it is because of the efficient and
speedy work of the Poison fire department that, part of the building is
standing.
Roy * Walsh^Miirderer j
Sanguine But Shaky
DEER LODGE, Dec. 27.—Roy Walsh;
condemned murderer, now unsmiling,
but still, On the. surface; as confkielit
as ever, is showing signs of the" strain
of imprisonment in the state penitentiary here.
•Outwardly, Walsh remains optimistic. To a representative Christmas
morning, he talked freely of plans for
"putting through" three of his inventions; and of his determination to
"carry on." One unacquainted %with
him might not have .known that he
will be rc-scntenccd to hang, shortly,
for the murder of Al Johnson, Renova
storekeeper. •
Heavy dark rings have formed under
his eyes, and evidently, he has lost
weight. He paid little attention to the
guards who brought him .into Warden
J. A. Cole's office for the interview.
"Walsh has been a model prisoner,"
said Warden Cole, who went on to
explain, however, that prison authorities were taking no chances.
Walsh was asked why he had "held
back" a perpetual motion engine, run
by compressed air, that he regards as
the best of his inventions.
"At three different times," he replied,
"I have had people try to steal it from
me. I know that it is a success, and
if I live long enough, I will put it
through. I have two other inventions
that I also figure I will put through.
The perpetual motion engine will do
anything. It will answer the purpose
for anything from an aeroplane to a
submarine. It is on the same principle as the steam engine."
KID M'COY, NOTED HERO OF PRIZE
RING FAME, GETS MANSLAUGHTER
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 29—Kid McCoy,
former pugilist, was' convicted in superior court late today of manslaughter in connection with the shooting
here August 12, last, of Mrs. Theresa
Mors. The penalty for manslaughter
is from one to ten years' imprisonment:
When the verdict was read McCoy's
eyes became tear dimmed as he sat at
the end of the council table.
"I don't believe it was a just verdict," he said. "If I am not guilty as
charged, I am not guilty at all. It
was not a just verdict."
The prisoner then rose and in custody of lxuliffs walked across the
courtroom to comfort his three sisters, who were weeping.
Foreman F. W. Coulthcr of the jury
said that the verdict was a compromise
on "the best we could do."
The jury, which was out longer than
any other in the legal history of Los
Angeles county, had been locked up
for 78 hours when the verdict was returned at 5:06 o'clock and had been in
actual deliberation for 34 hours.
Twcntyfour ballots were taken before the fate of the former prize fight
er was read in open court.,The jury
was comprised of nine women and
three men.
Superior Judge C. S. Crail had no
comment to make other than "I guess
it was the best they could do."
Several hundred persons, many of'
them women and members of southern
California boxing circles, thronged the
hall outside the courtroom when the
verdict was returned.
Sentence will be passed Friday at
10 a. m. Defense attorneys announced
tonight that notice. of appeal would
be filed at that time. Mrs. Mors, the
divorced wife of Albert A. Mors and
joint owner with him of the Mors.An-
tiquc shop in a fashionable shopping
district here, was. found dead of a
bullet wound in an apartment leased
to "Mr. and Mrs. N. Shields."
Her body was discovered about 9
a. m., Aug. 13, at about the same hour
McCoy is alleged to have entered the
antique shop and held up.several em-,
ployes of the place, later lining them
up on two .sides of the store room
while he "waited for the appearance of
Mors whom he announced he was going
• to "get."
lif- O-r. '-"I*;*
,J-*~J5

This collection encompasses the Big Timber Pioneer Newspaper published from 1893-2000.

Creator

Williams, Jerome

Genre

newspapers

Type

Text

Language

eng

Date Original

1925

Subject

Big Timber (Mont.), Sweet Grass County, (Mont.), Newspapers

Rights Management

Copyright to this collection is held by Yellowstone Newspaper Group, Livingston, Montana. Permission may be required for use and/or reproductions. Items published before 1923 are in the public domain.

Contributing Institution

Big Timber Carnegie Public Library

Geographic Coverage

Big Timber (Mont.); Sweet Grass County (Mont.)

Digital Collection

Big Timber Pioneer Newspaper

Digital Format

image/tiff

Digitization Specifications

Microfilm scanned at 300 dpi, 8 bit gray scale

Date Digitized

2013

Transcript

y
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>
.5**
J
VOLUME XXXVI
,..:'"^N
•-- 'ill
NO. 8
BIG TIMBERi SWEET GRASS COUNTY; MONTANA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 1925
ANNUAL CHRISTMAS BLAZE
OKLAHOMA SCHOOL
Ebbing Candle Ignites Tree And Panic Reigns
—More Than Thirty Perish—Only One
s I)oor, And Windows Are Screened
<
iwUL„k,j.
i,» »•'.»•
HOBART, Ol'da., Dec. 25.—Christmas
festivities for the children in the Babb
Switch school .district were turned to
tragedy tonighf and more than thirty
of the rural population were burned
~m death wlia-h, fire, starting from a
caidle on a'Christmas tree burned the
sclool house, which was crowded with
merry makers.
The (ire broke out at the close of
the Christmas eve program given by
the children of the school when a
candle on a Christmas tree ignited a
ball of cotton in the top of the tree.
There was a dash to extinguish the
flames and the tree was turned over,
scattering the burning cotton.
. In an instant there was a rush for
the one door and the windows. The
latter were found to be securely covered with a heavy woven wire and efforts to break through it were futile.
The school room, which was 24 by 36
feet in size, was packed, persons who
escaped declaring no less than 200
spectators were jammed into every
nook to watch the children of the
neighborhood as they presented their
Christmas exercises.
The frail building swept by a wintry wind was soon a mass of flames,
and the door was jammed by the few
who could reach it. Those who had
escaped the furnace worked frantically
to extricate the mass in the door and
thus saved some of their neighbors.
Cries of children for their parents 'and
the cries of the ciders to reach their
offspring made the flaming room like
a madhouse, but the frenzy was not
for long.
The Christmas tree on a stage at
the back of the school house was the
center of all eyes when a taper, expiring, after -its effort to help cheer
the assembled children, shot a flame
into some decorations at the lop of
the tree. The crowd arose as one "per
son with shouts of fear and the children who had been at the foot of the
tree enjoying their gifts, tried to get
away. The tree was upset, and the
flames spread rapidly.
The one door was at the other end
of the building and only a few could
get out in the frenzy of all to escape
at once. The desperate fathers and
mothers separated from their children
fought madly to get to the youngsters
and then, when that proved futile, to
break out the windows. The glass
gave way, but outside to protect the
glass, was wire netting that kept, the
entrapped people in the torment of the
flames.
It is believed several bodies are yet
in the embers. Many of the victims
are children who were taking part in
the program. They were grouped at
the front of the room near the tree
and were farthest from the one door.
Hospitals here are filled with injured and several were taken to farm
houses near the scene of the fire.
Physicians here said that five of the
persons in hospitals were seriously
burned.
The ground was covered with snow,
but some of the survivors dashed
away across the plains for help,
Copper Stocks Soar .
In New York Market
NEW YORK, Dec. 20.—Wall street
was treated to another surprise today
when the stpek market in defiance of
the traditional dull and featureless
movement in the first post holiday session, developed another burst of bullish enthusiasm under the leadership
of the copper shares, which contributed 18 of the 47 new 1924 high records
established during the day.
Heavy buying of the copper shares
was predicted upon the establishment
of a new high price for the year in
the east by Red metal at 15 cents a
pound and speculative expectation of
dividend resumptions of increases by
some of the larger companies. American Smelting and Refining was the leader in that group, crossing par for the
first time in seven years. Anaconda,
Chile, Kennecott. Utah, Inspiration,
Magma, Butte and Superior and Ccrro
Ue Pasco also sold at new high levels.
United States Steel, common and
New York Central each touched 119%,
the highest price in seven and twelve
years, respectively. American Locomotive crossed 102 to the highest price
since the split up if th.- stock in 1923.
The grain markt'.. were unusually
buoyant.- Wheat prices surged up 3vi
to 4% cents a bushel to the highest level
of the year, with the December delivery closing at §1.77% and May at
l.Sl'4* Heavier foreign buying based
on reports of a smaller world supply
contributed to the strength of the market. Corn prices moved up in sympathy with wheat.
Montana Fares Well
In Government Roads
WASHINGTON, Dec. 28.—The final
designation and approval of the federal aid highway system in all the
states is an event which will be recognized as time goes on as one of the
milestones of progress in the improvement of the highways of. the country,
Thos. H. McDonald, chief of the bureau
of good roads declared in his annual
report to Secretary of Agriculture Gore.
Three states, Maryland, Delaware
find.lfhodc Island, have completed their
highway systems. In Montana, up to
Jiuie 30, last, 805.7 miles of the system
had been completed, at a cost of $8,-
911,059.55, of which the federal government furnished $4,408,281.04.
McDonald gave an interesting table
on the composition of the 805.7 miles
of federal aid roads in Montana. Of
this mileage, 555.9 is gravel, 193.2 graded and drained, 16. water-bound macadam, 0.9 bituminous concrete, 31.3
Portland cement concrete, 1.6 bridges.
The map of the system presents a
definite plan for the improvement of
the main highways of the nation, a
plan that is possible to carry out in
a period of not more than ten years,
and which, in that limited period, will
result in a connected system of arterial highway transportation ..between all
cities of 5,000 population or larger.
The" duty of constructing the connecting ,. roads which are needed to give
access to the main system rests with
the states and counties.
Loses Useless Optic
But Will Get Damage
ST. PAUL, Dec. 26.—A workman who
loses an eye through an industrial accident, even though he is blind in that
eye, is entitled to compensation under
the Workmen's compensation law, the
Minnesota supreme court held today,
in affirming the state industrial commission. The decision was made in the
case of N. C. Mosgard, of Minneapolis,
who was denied compensation for the
loss of an eye, in which he had been
blind since infancy. He appealed to
the industrial commission, which
awarded him SI8 a week for 102 weeks.
GAME AND FISH COMMISSION WILL
ASK FOR CHANGE IN PRESENT LAW
Helena Independent: Recommendation for an increase in hunting and
fishing licenses will be made to the
coming legislature by the Montana
Sportsmen association and the state
fish and game commission according to
a decision of these two bodies meeting
in joint session here yesterday. The
sportsmen's organization and the game
commission have gone on record for
what is called the "divided license"
law. They recommend that the fishing
license be fixed at $2 and the hunting
license at §2 or a combination hunting and fishing license at $3. The present law provides for a combination
hunting and fishing license for residents of Montana at 82.
It is estimated that the new schedule if adopted by the legislature will
■>-- hring $15,000 or slightly more in additional revenue to the state. Those
advocating the increase advance the
argument that the additional^ money
is needed to make a more determined
fight against predatory animals and
carry on more educational work.
In the proposal for a change in the
license law is a provision for a §1
license for women and boys and girls
over 15 and under 19 or a $1 combination license for persons in this class.
The joint meeting will be continued
today when final action will be taken
on all matters the bodies wish to bring
before the legislature.
During the meeting Si Stoddard,
member of the legislature from Deer
Lodge county and a member of the
Sportsmen's association called attention to the alleged commercializing of
Echo lake, near Georgetown lake, and
the meeting asked the commission to
look into the matter with a view to
remedying any . abuse of discretion..
Stoddard told the members that it was
charged that the present tenant at Echo
lake is selling fish and not abiding
by an agreement to restock it with
fish. On the other hand he said, it is
charged that the fish being caught for
commercial purposes in Echo lake are
fed to that lake from Georgetown lake
through what is known as Flint creek.
Among other recommendations of
the bodies in meeting here are: More
protection for fur bearing animals;
screening of irrigation ditches; closing
whole state to shooting of grouse with
power given the commission to open
certain portions; protection of bear.
Rev. Joseph Pope, Noted Dry
Chief, Dies In Seattle, Wash.
- •• ^.;«V:. ..... , _...-.,.
Rev. Joseph Pope, well known to all old timers of Sweet Grass
county, died at his home, in'Seattle, Wash., last night of heart failure.
News of his death is contained' in the following dispatch from that
city: .'',..
"Rev. Joseph Pope, 58, superintendent of the- Washington Anti-
Saloon league, died at his home here tonight after- a short-illness.
"Mr.-'Pope suffered from .a heart attack during a recent trip to
Montana, where he was -superintendent of the Montana Anti-Saloon
league for 11 years. ' "
-•-" "Mr. Pope was born May 14, 1866, at Cornwall, England. He came
to the United States in 1890, going to Montana' where he was a member of the state legislature. He came to Seattle in August, 1923.
"Mr. Pope is survived by his.widow; and three children, Mrs. Mary.
Worden, Missoula, Mont.; Mrs. Ethel Morgan, Coryallis, Ore., and
Miss Dorothy Pope, Seattle."
One of the first pastors of the Congregational church of this city,
Rev. Pope moved later to Laurel, then to Billings. During his residence at those places, and up to the time he took charge of prohibition work in Montana, Rev. Pope was j called here on many occasions
to conduct funeral services for old. time friends.
While residing here he was as" poor as the average preacher, but
later became affluent, through prohibition work, it is said, and is
reputed to have been worth $100,000, in ranches and other holdings,
at the" time he left Billings.
WOMAN TAKES WILD RIDE TWELVE
MILES ON PILOT OF LOCOMOTIVE
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Dec. 26.—"I've
thanked God a thousand times that
I'm alive" sobbed Mrs. Mary Clark,
19, as she lay on a hospital cot here
today and described a Christmas night
ride of 12 miles on the locomotive
pilot of the Knickerbocker Special, a
fast New York Central train running
from Indianapolis to New York.
Mrs. Clark was caught on the pilot
when the train, demolished an automobile at a crossing here, killing one
member of her family and injuring two
others.
s
Mrs. Clark's mother-in-law, Mrs.
Clyde Clark, died of injuries. Kenneth
Clark, 22, husband pf Mrs. Mary Clark,
and Clyde Clark^ Kenneth's father, were
injured. "Billy" Hartman, 20 .months
old nephew of Mrs. Kenneth Clark, escaped uninjured.
"It was. the most terrifying experience 1 ever expect to have". said Mrs.
Clark as she told' of" clinging to the
locomotive until she finally became unconscious and swept oft* into a ditch,
where she was found by a farmer who
heard her screams.
Mrs. Clark said as the automobile
started across the tracks she heard a
terrific crash and then remembered
nothing until she found herself on the
engine pilot.
'T,was still somewhat dazed" she
said,1 "but I realized where I was and
I apparently had enough presence of
mind to cling to some kind of an
iron bar on the head of the locomotive. I screamed, shrieked and shouted until my throat became • so raw I
was unable to make further outcry. It
seemed that I was Hying, the train
was going so fast.
"The minutes seemed like hours and
the wind was so strong I wns afraid
to'-turn around and look ahead. It was
the coldest wind I ever felt.
"I felt that it would be only a question of'a few seconds until I probably would be dashed to the tracks below and ground to • pieces.15 It was terrible. J. I. prpyed to .God. to give, me
strength-to hang on just a little, further. I also asked that if He;intended to take 'me, to please spare Ken-
nelh and the rest of the family. .
"I thought of Kenneth and his father
and mother and little Billy luany times
as the train sped on and I wondered
if they had been killed. I prayed and
prayed that they be saved."
Insane Patients Die
When Hospital Burns
ALTON, 111., Dec. 28—Three aged
patients of the state insane hospital
three miles east of Alton, were burned
to death early today when a frame
house was destroyed by fire. The dead
arc:
Charles Sunderland, 67, of Alton.
Henry Languth, 70, Monroe county.
Fred Lang, 50, relatives unknown.
Thomas Guyn, a fourth patient, was
severely burned.
There were 14 patients in the farm
house in charge of Fred Tackenbrock
and his wife. The building was one
of the four used to house patients employed on the hospital farms and was
situated about a quarter of a mile
from the main institution. Tcckcn-
brock said he was awakened at 4:30
a. m. by the smell of smoke and saw
the. portion "of the house occupied by
the patients bursting into flames, apparently from an overheated stove.
Tcckenbrock and his wife and the
11 patients who escaped in their night
clothing suffered considerably, from the
sub-zero temperature until blankets
were brought to them.
Teapot Dome Matter
Rests Until March 9
CHEYENNE, Wyo., Dec. 26—Judge
T. Blake Kennedy this morning granted
a continuance until March 9th, of the
trial of the government's suit in equity
for annulment of the Mammoth Oil
company's lease on the Teapot Dome
naval oil reserve.
The continuance was sought by the
government on the ground that it needed additional time to secure from H.
S. Osier and other Canadians and from
certain residents of the United States,
testimony essential to the establishment of its claim that the Teapot
Dome- lease was granted as the result
of a conspiracy to which Harry F. Sinclair and Albert B. Fall, the latter-then
secretary of the interior, were parties.
Counsel for the Mammoth company
resisted the motion for a continuance.
Movie Picture Treat
For New York Blind
NEW YOK, Dec. 26.—Twelve hundred
blind men, ^vomen and children sat in
a darkened theater today and "saw"
their first motion picture. The reading of an atmospheric narrative, with
a rythmic arrangement, together with
special music, enabled the audience, to
conceive the story as it was unreeled
on the screen. The hero of the screen
story was a blind lighthouse keeper.
The company which produced it intends
to make another picture which will he
arranged especially for blind audiences.
Extra Session Will
Be Determined Later
WASHINGTON, Dec. 26.—Decision as
to an extra session of congress after
March 4 is being withheld by President
Coolidge, but in his opinion, one should
be called only in event, of some development of great importance.
The president will await the termination of, the present session before
making any attempt to decide on the
question of an extra session. The
chief task before the present session
is the enactment of the regular appropriation bills and with three of these,
already approved by the house, the
feeling in administration quarters is
that this work will be performed before March 4.
Mr. Coolidge recommends a wide diversity of other legislation to the attention of congress in his annual message, some of which he regards as very
important, but whether any of this, if
not acted upon, *is sufficiently important to warrant' an extra scission is a
question he is not ready to determine.
Several republican leaders in congress,
including Chairman Borah 6f the senate foreign relations committee.
PRICE $2.00 PER YEAR
-:...:.j&..$ ,. -.'.-..:•-* >x?^&-A-r«v •;
GOV. LEN SMALL MAY HAVE
TROUBLE ON
Evidence At Court Hearing Shows He
Short $1,000,000 While Treasurer—No
body Knows Where The Money Went
, SPRINGFIELD, Ills., Dec. 30.—Gov.n
Len Small was held accountable for
the entire' interest entrusted to him
as state treasurer, in a decision made
today by Circuit Judge Frank W. Burton of Carrolton.
. The decision was accompanied by a
denunciation of the state official, who
sut before him.
Counsel for the governor tonight
had announced no- plans of procedure.
I Preparing the formal decree for presentation in court tomorrow morning,
Assistant Attorney General Clarence M.
Boord tonight said the amount of Gov.
Small's alleged indebtedness to the
state was "considerably more than one
million dollars." Tomorrow the case
will be formally referred back to the
master-in-chanccry for a definite de-
cisionof the amount of indebtedness.
"Governor Small must account for
interest 911 all securities purchased with
state funds and turned over by him
to the Curtises" Mr. Boord • said.
"Nearly all those securities were packers' notes. The exact amount due will
be determined in hearings before the
master."
Eleven days were spent by counsel
arguing before Judge Burton.
Their strife was over the report of
Former Havre Judge
Dead In Hoosier Town
Ohio Lumberman Has
Millions To Scatter
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 25.—A Christmas gift of a possible value of between
62,000,000 and §3,000,000 was announced
here today.
William McClellan Bitter of Washington, formerly of Columbus, and
founder of the William M. Bitter Lumber company, the executive offices of
which arc here, is the donor, and 124
men and women, most of whom arc
employes of the company, get approximately one-fourth of the capital stock
of the corporation that bears his name.
Plans for distribution of the stock
were completed last night. The shares
that will be divided number 12,500 and
have a par value of §1,250,000. As the
stock of the corporation is closely held,
no exact approximation of the real
gift could be obtained, hut local bankers expressed the opinion that it might
run between §2,000,000 and §3,000,000.
Virginia Flood Has
Death List Of Five
ABINGDON, Va., Dec. 25.—Five persons are known dead and 200 arc homeless as a result of a muck dam breaking at Parmartown, Va., on the north
fork of the Holston river, at 10 o'clock
last night.
Virtually the whole village of Parmartown, settled chiefly by workers at
the Malhieson Alkali works, was wiped
out, according to report received here.
The hospital and private homes at Salt-
ville near the scene of the flood, are
said to be filled with injured.
HAVRE. Dec. 2C—Judge F. N. Utter,
one of the best, knoyyn residents of
Havre and a leading Montana lawyer,
jurist ,and banker, died yesterday
morning in Lafayette, Ind., where he
had gone for medical attention; according to word received in Havre.
■ kludge0 Utter was taken sick, during
the fall with an attack of ilu and it
left Jiim(-.in . a weakened condition,
>?hieK \vas *at first pronounced .iancer.
He went to one of the largest, clinics
in the middlewcst for diagnosis and
there -it was pronounced tuberculosis
of the spine.
Following this verdict the judge decided to go to a famous hospital and
sanitarium at Lafayette, Ind., where
his nephew was one of the leading
surgeons, and another diagnosis confirmed the decision.
It was decided that the judge would
have to wear a plaster cast for months
and he was placed in one and reports
received here were most encouraging
until the sad message of his death
was received.
*No' details are known. Mrs. Utter
and the children Mere in Lafayette
where they went recently to join him.
Judge Utter had been long identified
with the life of northern Montana,
coming to Havre as a lawyer. He, was
cashier of the old Havre National bank
and was appointed judge of the Seventeenth judicial district and was reelected to the position. In recent years
he has been in private practice.
the master-in-chanccry, which the judge
approved today. Arguments of defense,
counsel, headed by Werner W. Schroe-
der, Kankakee,'and Senator John Daily"
of Peoria, were chiefly to th4 effect,
that there was "not one iota of proof,
of money wrongfully held."
This argument turned as a boomerang against the defense.'. Peering
down at the upturned face of Goverr-
nor Small, the elderly judge asked why
there was no proof, and added that
"not only one, but practically every
item of evidence and proof . . . had
disappeared." • ' "'•'
"if there is anyone" he'continued,'
"who should preserve a record- of his",
administration, it is the public officer."
Governor Small, the judge said, held
Verne Curtis and the heirs of Edward
Curtis, former state senator, accountable foi-, the interest on the packers'
notes, but added, that men who signed the governor's bond when he be-'
came treasurer, are not liable. TJie
Curtises. were proprietors of the Grant:
Park bank. ' .
"Three persons knew all about this
bank" the judge declared. "Small, Ed-
Curtis and Verne Curtis. Ed is dead,
Verne refuses to answer because it
will 'incriminate him,' and Small enters
the geiteral assembly with Ed Curtis,
the genera assembly with Ed Curtis.
I regarded him as a friend. I would
rather think him dead than think of
him as a banker, in charge of millions
of dollars which others have entrusted to him, refusing, to testify 'because
he might- incriminate' himself."
How Judge Burton's decision may
affect Governor Small's second inaug\
uration, which has been set for Jan\
12, was uncertain tonight*/- The attor- \
ney gcnei-al's force r.effiscd'to say how
they interpreted _the. law vegnrding it,
adding that "the question would require .
a»carcful and exhaustive study.
Grandview Hotel At
Poison Is No More
POLSON, Dec. 215.—A fire destroyed
the north wing of the Grandview hotel and the. whole building is a ruin
from fire and water. The blaze was
discovered at 9:30 a. m., coming from
the kitchen, and it is attributed to
an overheated range. The fire spread
rapidly throughout the frame building,
and it is because of the efficient and
speedy work of the Poison fire department that, part of the building is
standing.
Roy * Walsh^Miirderer j
Sanguine But Shaky
DEER LODGE, Dec. 27.—Roy Walsh;
condemned murderer, now unsmiling,
but still, On the. surface; as confkielit
as ever, is showing signs of the" strain
of imprisonment in the state penitentiary here.
•Outwardly, Walsh remains optimistic. To a representative Christmas
morning, he talked freely of plans for
"putting through" three of his inventions; and of his determination to
"carry on." One unacquainted %with
him might not have .known that he
will be rc-scntenccd to hang, shortly,
for the murder of Al Johnson, Renova
storekeeper. •
Heavy dark rings have formed under
his eyes, and evidently, he has lost
weight. He paid little attention to the
guards who brought him .into Warden
J. A. Cole's office for the interview.
"Walsh has been a model prisoner"
said Warden Cole, who went on to
explain, however, that prison authorities were taking no chances.
Walsh was asked why he had "held
back" a perpetual motion engine, run
by compressed air, that he regards as
the best of his inventions.
"At three different times" he replied,
"I have had people try to steal it from
me. I know that it is a success, and
if I live long enough, I will put it
through. I have two other inventions
that I also figure I will put through.
The perpetual motion engine will do
anything. It will answer the purpose
for anything from an aeroplane to a
submarine. It is on the same principle as the steam engine."
KID M'COY, NOTED HERO OF PRIZE
RING FAME, GETS MANSLAUGHTER
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 29—Kid McCoy,
former pugilist, was' convicted in superior court late today of manslaughter in connection with the shooting
here August 12, last, of Mrs. Theresa
Mors. The penalty for manslaughter
is from one to ten years' imprisonment:
When the verdict was read McCoy's
eyes became tear dimmed as he sat at
the end of the council table.
"I don't believe it was a just verdict" he said. "If I am not guilty as
charged, I am not guilty at all. It
was not a just verdict."
The prisoner then rose and in custody of lxuliffs walked across the
courtroom to comfort his three sisters, who were weeping.
Foreman F. W. Coulthcr of the jury
said that the verdict was a compromise
on "the best we could do."
The jury, which was out longer than
any other in the legal history of Los
Angeles county, had been locked up
for 78 hours when the verdict was returned at 5:06 o'clock and had been in
actual deliberation for 34 hours.
Twcntyfour ballots were taken before the fate of the former prize fight
er was read in open court.,The jury
was comprised of nine women and
three men.
Superior Judge C. S. Crail had no
comment to make other than "I guess
it was the best they could do."
Several hundred persons, many of'
them women and members of southern
California boxing circles, thronged the
hall outside the courtroom when the
verdict was returned.
Sentence will be passed Friday at
10 a. m. Defense attorneys announced
tonight that notice. of appeal would
be filed at that time. Mrs. Mors, the
divorced wife of Albert A. Mors and
joint owner with him of the Mors.An-
tiquc shop in a fashionable shopping
district here, was. found dead of a
bullet wound in an apartment leased
to "Mr. and Mrs. N. Shields."
Her body was discovered about 9
a. m., Aug. 13, at about the same hour
McCoy is alleged to have entered the
antique shop and held up.several em-,
ployes of the place, later lining them
up on two .sides of the store room
while he "waited for the appearance of
Mors whom he announced he was going
• to "get."
lif- O-r. '-"I*;*
,J-*~J5